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Mr Wright, a chartered accountant said: 'We've been together for 20 years so we just thought it was time we should get married'

'We've
been scuba diving for years and we thought, 'Why don't we get married
out here? How nice it would be to have an underwater wedding ceremony.'

He added: 'I was hoping she wouldn't keep me waiting at the altar - if she had been too long I might have run out of air.

'If you're into scuba diving, I would recommend getting married underwater. It was just awesome and well worth doing.'

As the couple were unable to speak
under the water, the vows were completed using signs. Chris and Janet
each held up cards reading: 'I do' and then took out their regulators to
for the traditional kiss.

Decor: The wedding included a stage with the couples' names and a forest of floating blooms

Sign language: Because they couldn't speak underwater, the couple used placards to complete their vows

Guests: Carol Bielfied, who wore a tutu, was maid of honour while Thomas Taylor (pictured) was the ring bearer

Watery welcome: The newly married couple pose with a sign erected by hotel staff outside the undersea venue

After the ceremony, the wedding party's oxygen tanks were released, sending clouds of bubbles to the ocean surface.

The
58-year-old bride said: 'It was totally amazing, they'd created a whole
stage area with a swinging seat, it was completely magical.

'There were curtains and flowers, there was an aisle to swim up and a big welcome sign. My big day was incredibly special - I couldn't imagine a better setting for our wedding.'

The couple emerged into the tropical sunlight and toured the island on a catamaran with a 'just married' sail before heading back to their room for champagne and cake.

Sealed with a kiss: Although the pair wore their respirators for the ceremony, they removed them for the kiss

Unique: The intimate ceremony was the South Ari Atoll's first undersea wedding

Scuba fans: In the run up to the nuptials, the couple went on a 26 dives but were kept clear of the venue by staff

Chris and Janet started diving more than a decade ago and love the warm waters of the Indian Ocean that surround the Maldives.

The pair, who were staying at Centara Grand Island Resort and Spa in South Ari Atoll, had been on 26 dives on the run-up to their big day but instructors steered them away from the stage while it was being set up.

Mr Wright said: 'The diving around Centara Grand is amazing, the house reef is good and teeming with life. You put your head underwater and you're in a different world.

'It was the island's first underwater
marriage and we can't thank our diving instructor Ibrahim Shaan and his
team, together with Voytec, Max and the staff of Centara Grand Island
Resort and Spa, enough for organising it.'

Decoration: Along with a red carpet, stage and blooms, the venue was decorated with highly apt fish sculptures

Happily married: Both Janet and Chris agreed that the day had gone exactly as they hoped it would